Women’s Health Week: Let’s Talk Periods
It is Women’s Health Week, so let’s talk periods! Our menstrual cycle (or period) is the hormonal process a woman’s body goes through each month to prepare for a possible pregnancy. Regular menstrual periods in the years between puberty and menopause are usually a sign that your body is working optimally. Irregular or heavy, painful periods can be a sign that it is not. (www.womenshealth.gov).
While the length of each woman’s cycle varies greatly (from between 20-31 days), the important element is that it is regular and fairly symptom-free.
Recent research has stated “that the menstrual cycle is as much a “vital sign” as blood pressure, pulse rate, or temperature,as an indicator when assessing a woman’s overall health” (NIH, US).
The presence of normal, regular menstrual cycles provides evidence that the hypothalamus and the pituitary are providing proper coordinated stimulation to support normal ovarian function, and the ovary is responding to this stimulation appropriately.
Regular and asymptomatic menstruation is a woman’s body’s way of saying that there is hormonal balance within the body. Irregular or symptomatic menstruation is generally a sign that there is not.
For more information on topics such as painful periods, heavy bleeding, iron levels, personal period quiz and much more – visit https://www.womenshealthweek.com.au/the-week/monday
And as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line – we’d love to hear from you!
Anna & Em xo
